Subnautica 2 dev says it’ll ‘never take any action against any player’ in response to outrage over draconian EULA

After making a big splash with its early-access launch, Subnautica 2 was caught up in a debate over its terms and conditions—seemingly imposed by publisher Krafton—that many players considered draconian and too extreme even by modern publishing standards. The game’s EULA contained numerous controversial clauses, even if many of them can unfortunately be found in most current-day agreements of this kind. First and foremost, the EULA outlines that players don’t actually own the game but merely have a license and that Krafton can take it away at any point without notice, as well as that the terms of the agreement can change at any point and also without notice. It’s a shame for such a good game to be wrapped in such draconian nonsense. Image via Krafton https://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 As per Rock Paper Shotgun, players are apparently forbidden from using VPNs while playing Subnautica 2 since the agreement says you can’t “use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the location of your use or device.” You also can’t break “social norms,” whatever that means, while any artwork based on the game or mod of any kind presumably belongs to Krafton and not the creator. You also waive your right to a judge and a jury and agree to arbitrate in California. On top of that, the EULA requires anyone who makes content playing Subnautica 2 to put up a clear notice that the work falls under the EULA and is not affiliated with Krafton. Not asking for permission from Krafton to make such content or making that declaration can lead to losing the license. Yikes. As PC Gamer points out, even articles about the EULA, which are in many ways negative or critical towards the agreement, breach the part where the reputation of the “documentation” cannot be harmed. Even playing the game on more than one machine without buying a separate copy is a breach. But now that I’m done outlining all of that draconian nonsense, which actually probably wouldn’t stand in your jurisdiction’s court of law, I’ve got good news: the developers are actively looking into the EULA’s wording and terms and are promising not to go after you for potentially breaching them. “We will obviously never take any action against any player playing the game, streaming it on Twitch or YouTube or in Discord to friends, you can play on Linux with Proton (we’re Steam Deck verified),” the representative wrote on the game’s Discord. “We have someone looking into the EULA,” they added. Mods are also fine so long as they’re not being made for-profit. Either way, these are probably some of the more out-there EULA terms I’ve ever seen, but I’m willing to bet that if we started reading all the stuff in other mainstream games’ agreements, we’d collectively stop playing games altogether. 0 The post Subnautica 2 dev says it’ll ‘never take any action against any player’ in response to outrage over draconian EULA appeared first on Destructoid.

May 20, 2026 - 06:06

Subnautica 2 dev says it’ll ‘never take any action against any player’ in response to outrage over draconian EULA

After making a big splash with its early-access launch, Subnautica 2 was caught up in a debate over its terms and conditions—seemingly imposed by publisher Krafton—that many players considered draconian and too extreme even by modern publishing standards.

The game’s EULA contained numerous controversial clauses, even if many of them can unfortunately be found in most current-day agreements of this kind. First and foremost, the EULA outlines that players don’t actually own the game but merely have a license and that Krafton can take it away at any point without notice, as well as that the terms of the agreement can change at any point and also without notice.

It’s a shame for such a good game to be wrapped in such draconian nonsense. Image via Krafton https://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 As per Rock Paper Shotgun, players are apparently forbidden from using VPNs while playing Subnautica 2 since the agreement says you can’t “use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the location of your use or device.” You also can’t break “social norms,” whatever that means, while any artwork based on the game or mod of any kind presumably belongs to Krafton and not the creator.

You also waive your right to a judge and a jury and agree to arbitrate in California. On top of that, the EULA requires anyone who makes content playing Subnautica 2 to put up a clear notice that the work falls under the EULA and is not affiliated with Krafton. Not asking for permission from Krafton to make such content or making that declaration can lead to losing the license. Yikes.

As PC Gamer points out, even articles about the EULA, which are in many ways negative or critical towards the agreement, breach the part where the reputation of the “documentation” cannot be harmed.

Even playing the game on more than one machine without buying a separate copy is a breach.

But now that I’m done outlining all of that draconian nonsense, which actually probably wouldn’t stand in your jurisdiction’s court of law, I’ve got good news: the developers are actively looking into the EULA’s wording and terms and are promising not to go after you for potentially breaching them.

“We will obviously never take any action against any player playing the game, streaming it on Twitch or YouTube or in Discord to friends, you can play on Linux with Proton (we’re Steam Deck verified),” the representative wrote on the game’s Discord. “We have someone looking into the EULA,” they added.

Mods are also fine so long as they’re not being made for-profit.

Either way, these are probably some of the more out-there EULA terms I’ve ever seen, but I’m willing to bet that if we started reading all the stuff in other mainstream games’ agreements, we’d collectively stop playing games altogether.

0 The post Subnautica 2 dev says it’ll ‘never take any action against any player’ in response to outrage over draconian EULA appeared first on Destructoid.

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